Through good times and bad, Teresa Dickinson’s Melrose Pharmacy has served neighbors in the Melrose District for 20 years by placing emphasis on community and customer service (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
Adjacent to the busy corner of 7th and Montecito avenues in Phoenix’s Melrose District, a steady stream of customers drift in and out of an equally bustling business. Walk through the doors of the business – housed in a 1950s brick building with exposed rafter ceilings, where jazz plays over the loud speaker and the hum of a vintage refrigerator offering cold beverages adds to the background noise of busy phones and friendly employees – and you’ll be greeted by colorful product displays, whimsical gift items and more. Welcome to Melrose Pharmacy.
A vintage refrigerator serves up cold beverages at Melrose Pharmacy (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
“We just loved the neighborhood and wanted to be a part of it,” said Teresa Dickinson, owner of Melrose Pharmacy, which opened in the building in a smaller suite in November 2005. Now, 20 years later, Dickinson, who owns the building that also is home to Restaurant Progress and Thunderbird Lounge, has moved into a larger suite but is still dispensing prescriptions and Melrose community spirit.
“We were one of the first four businesses that really started the revitalization of Melrose,” Dickinson recalled. “Copper Star Coffee and Wag N’ Wash, us and Figs all opened in the same year.”
Some of those businesses have morphed into others over the years, much like Dickinson’s building itself, which over the years housed a jeweler, a meat market, a Henny Penny and others. But the eclectically retro and independent spirit that is the general Melrose vibe has remained.
At Melrose Pharmacy, neighbors can fill regular prescriptions (they work with most insurance companies) get compounded medications and find support for women’s hormone therapy, along with various vaccinations. They offer delivery and provide pill pack services – they even offer some pet prescriptions. And like drug stores of old, you can find a variety of over-the-counter medications and health aids, goodies and small gifts to pick up on the fly.
Keeping an independent pharmacy open for 20 years is no small feat. They have stayed strong through economic ups and downs but COVID took its toll on the business, and to some extent, the community.
“People just seem more comfortable being at home, not really going out as much. I don’t feel that it is as community-oriented as it used to be,” she said.
But she kept the doors open and continues to serve the community, and recently opened a second location, Bell Road Pharmacy at 40th Avenue and Bell Road.
“It’s a lot of hard work, vacations always have interruptions, but I never give up. It has been rewarding to put work into something and then see the results. And I love my patients.”
Housed in a 1950s brick building with exposed rafter ceilings, Melrose Pharmacy meets neighbors’ prescription and over-the-counter medicine needs and more (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
Beyond her status as a local small business owner, Dickinson is a strong neighborhood advocate – she is known for her vocal opposition to the 7th Avenue reverse lanes that she feels hurt both the Melrose neighbors and businesses – and at the end of the day, she says, the health of communities depends on the residents themselves.
“I feel like Melrose is a small town within a big city, but you’ve got to show your face to be a part of the community. If you want to keep a good community, you need to participate.”
The business will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Friday, Dec. 6, during the district’s First Friday activities, and neighbors are invited to stop by and say hello.
Melrose Pharmacy, located at 706 W. Montecito Ave., is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For additional information, call 602-277-4714 or visit www.melrosepharmacy.com.
